


Blurry Nights

by ariphyll



Series: FE Rarepair Week 2017 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M, xander is gay and nervous someone help him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariphyll/pseuds/ariphyll
Summary: Xander had no idea how much of the night before Takumi remembered, and he didn't know if he had the courage to actually ask.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 of Rarepair Week! Final stretch! Wooooo! Used the prompts "Watching" and "Hello" although I guess "Dancing" has a minor role here

Xander watched Takumi from the edge of the room, through the crowd of milling people talking and dancing. Takumi was oblivious to him staring and Xander was grateful for that at least. He wasn’t sure yet if he wanted to actually approach Takumi or not - as far as the prince knew, Xander had little reason to speak with him beyond political affairs.

Xander usually abstained from drinking heavily or at all when it came to social events, paranoia always running through him over what he might end up doing. He could tell even from far away though that Takumi had a small glass of wine in his hand. Xander wondered if Takumi felt any repercussions from the night before or if he was still too young to feel the effects come morning.

 _“Hey,” Takumi slurred, wrapping his arms around Xander’s waist from the back. “This stupid castle is too_ big, _help me find my room so I can- pass out.”_

 _Xander went stiff, almost affronted by what was happening. Few people had the audacity to just_ grab _him like this. He glanced over his shoulder at Takumi before pulling his arms off of him. Once Xander turned around, Takumi’s face filled up with confusion._

_“Oh, whoops, you’re not Leo.” Takumi let out a juvenile snicker. “He only wishes he could be.”_

The morning breakfast between the royal families held no awkwardness. Or perhaps it did and Xander didn’t realize. Takumi hardly batted an eye at him the whole time, but that was normal wasn’t it? Or was he usually more friendly towards Xander, and now was abstaining from it? For all the attentiveness Xander had towards Takumi, he couldn’t fully remember how he acted before all of this.

Xander itched to grab a glass for himself but if he was going to strike up a conversation it would have to be sober. The last thing he needed was to be tipsy and spilling out things he shouldn’t. No, he would have to do this sober or not at all.

_“How much have you had to drink tonight, Prince Takumi?” Xander asked, eyeing the redness of his face._

_“Was I meant to keep track?” Takumi bit his lip, thinking for a moment before giving a sharp laugh. “I don’t really know. I just wanna go sleep before I end up falling off a balcony or something.”_

_“Fair enough,” Xander sighed, turning Takumi by the shoulders towards the hall they needed to leave through. “Perhaps tomorrow night for the second half of the ball, you should drink less.”_

_“Mm, I can take care of myself,” Takumi mumbled, stumbling over himself as he walked._

_“... Right.”_

“Feeling alright, Xander?”

Camilla had appeared next to him, a small knowing smile across her lips. She was swirling wine in a glass but it didn’t seem like anything had been drunk from it. Out of everyone, she was the closest to knowing how Xander felt. To knowing how much of a _schoolboy_ he was acting at the moment.

“I’m fine, sister, thank you,” Xander said. “No partner for the evening?”

Camilla laughed. “Not for tonight. You can’t wed me off that quickly.”

“I wasn’t trying to get rid of you.”

“I have a feeling you are now.”

“If only because I know what you’re here for.” Xander sighed. “Leave it be, Camilla.”

Camilla huffed and folded her arms. “I don’t see what the big fuss is, brother. Do you need your sister to teach you how to talk to someone?”

“No, Camilla, I would like it if you left this alone though.”

_Navigating someone drunk through the halls was a more complex task than Xander originally imagined. Takumi seemed to get fascinated by small things, and if a passerby stopped to chat Xander would have to spend time searching for him later. Why did he set the guests rooms so far from the ball?_

_Balconies tended to be Takumi’s go to spot to be in when disappearing. Xander had to admit it was a pretty sight out there, with so much of Nohr lit up from lights and a hope for a better ruler in him. It was not, however, a very safe place for a drunk man to be at._

_Takumi slouched over the railing, not even noticing when Xander walked out there with him. Or maybe he just didn’t care to acknowledge him. The stars were still visible up above despite all the lighting, and Takumi alternated between staring up and then down at the ground._

_“Nohr is pretty when it isn’t depressing and all,” Takumi said. “I still don’t understand how Nohrians don't burn to ash from any kind of sunlight though.”_

_Xander gave a small smile. “It’s a talent, I assure you. Now come on, aren’t you still tired?”_

_Takumi groaned, resting his head against his folded arms. “But it’s_ nice _out here. It’s cool and not stuffy like inside.”_

_“You can’t sleep out here, though,” Xander said, grabbing his arm with a firm but gentle grip. “I fear your brother may have an issue with me leaving you here in such a precarious position.”_

_Takumi made a small face but didn’t comment any more, following Xander back inside. He leaned heavily against him even after Xander removed his hand, and any ease he had flew away at the contact._

_“Can you no longer walk by yourself?” Xander asked, torn between shoving Takumi off and letting him stay like that._

_“Mm, no. I’m fine.” Takumi made no move to adjust himself, and so they carried down the halls like that._

_Takumi was a warm weight against his side, and Xander prayed to the gods they wouldn’t encounter any more people. Rumors spread quickly in Nohr,  and he didn’t think Ryoma would appreciate knowing about this either._

“Go talk to him,” Camilla said, before turning and leaving Xander to himself.

It was easy to say but still difficult for him to execute. Xander prided himself on being bold and noble, but he couldn’t deny he still fell short when it came to social issues. Especially when it was something like this. If he could just tell how much of the night before Takumi actually _remembered_ , Xander would have a much easier time with this.

All of his feelings for this was completely irrational. Takumi had no reason to hold his attention beyond a needed acquaintance, and yet Xander had always been far too easily enamored by him. The night before had done nothing to help, and only drug Xander down deeper. It was as if he was a small child all over again with no control over himself. A little boy who gets a crush with ease, except Xander had to be a king and a ruler and couldn’t let such frivolities happen.

He could win a war but when it came to Takumi he was powerless. Xander watched him decline dance after dance, more than content to stick with his retainers. Every now and then the girl would catch Xander’s eye, but beyond a small scowl towards him never said anything to her liege.

‘Go talk to him.’ Easy words from someone who wasn’t in Xander’s position. He furrowed his brow, turning his head to stare at the wall. He was pitiful, being so easily bested by this. Even still, a small part of him still refused to let up on the night before, refused to give him a break. It encouraged him despite his rationale, that he at least needed to _know_ what Takumi remembered. If he didn't he'd surely lose his mind over it.

_Xander counted down the rooms before finally stopping at Takumi’s, detaching himself from him. “There you go. A maid will wake you in the morning for breakfast.”_

_Takumi scoffed. “I’ll be up, don't worry.” His bitter expression faded into something softer as he smiled at Xander. “Thanks, Xander. Uh- King Xander.”_

_“Please, don’t sweat over formalities.” The word ‘king’ still sounded foreign in his ears. “And it was better than letting you try all night to work your way back here.”_

_“Hey,” Takumi protested, face falling into a pout. “It’s not my fault this place is built like a maze. I can get away with it from drinking.”_

_“Yes, wine you didn’t need to drink,” Xander reminded._

_“Uh, but you still served it.” Takumi stretched, body twisting before going limp. He fixed Xander with another smile before leaning up, almost not tall enough to reach, before pressing a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Good night, Xander.”_

_With that he rocked back, yawning and making his way inside his room. Takumi left completely unfazed, but Xander stood out there for quite a while longer. He was still trying to process if he had hallucinated that or not, but he only had a few sips of wine much earlier in the evening, and he could still feel the faint warmth from where Takumi touched him._

Xander steeled himself for any kind of negative way this could go. He made his way over to Takumi in what he hoped was casual and friendly and tapped on his shoulder. Both of his retainers looked surprised, and as Takumi turned to see who was there his face lit up.

“Ah, King Xander. Hello,” he said, tilting his head in greeting. He held a small smile, but Xander couldn’t tell if it was from his retainers or from seeing him.

He supposed he would find out then.

Xander nodded. “Hello, Prince Takumi.”


End file.
